1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sterilization apparatus and a sterilization method. In particular, the invention relates to a sterilization apparatus and sterilization method, which can be switched between a sterilization process using a concentrated sterilizing agent and a sterilization process using a sterilizing agent that has not been concentrated.
2. Description of the Related Art
Since there is a concern that pathogens may become attached to medical equipment such as syringes and surgical tools during use and that this may have an adverse effect on the human body, medical equipment cannot be reused in cases where it is not sterilized after use. For this reason, there are sterilization apparatuses which perform a sterilization process on target objects, such as medical equipment, requiring sterilization.
A sterilization apparatus and a sterilization method have been proposed in which target objects are sterilized using hydrogen peroxide as a sterilizing agent (for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 08-505787).
When sterilizing target objects with a sterilization apparatus, to improve the sterilizing effect, sterilization is performed by concentrating a sterilizing agent and using the concentrated sterilizing agent. However, depending on the target object for sterilization, a target object may be broken down or deteriorated when the target object is sterilized using a concentrated sterilizing agent. For such target objects for sterilization, a normal sterilizing agent that has not been concentrated is used for sterilization.
However, conventionally, when sterilization is carried out using a concentrated sterilizing agent, a sterilization apparatus dedicated to sterilization using a concentrated sterilizing agent is required. Further, when sterilization is carried out using a normal sterilizing agent that has not been concentrated, a sterilization apparatus dedicated to sterilization using a sterilizing agent that has not been concentrated and which has no sterilizing agent concentration mechanism is required.
In addition, to implement these functions in one sterilization apparatus, the sterilization apparatus must be provided with a sterilization process dedicated to sterilization using a sterilizing agent that has not been concentrated as well as a sterilization process dedicated to sterilization using a concentrated sterilizing agent. Thus, in addition to an increase in cost, the size of the sterilization apparatus may also increase.